Bay Sox benefit from Graczyk's growing game

NEW BEDFORD — Zach Graczyk looks every bit the part of the fleet center fielder, who can cover ground in the outfield and beat out base hits in the infield.

BILL ABRAMSON

NEW BEDFORD — Zach Graczyk looks every bit the part of the fleet center fielder, who can cover ground in the outfield and beat out base hits in the infield.

So, where did the batter come from who got New Bedford flying Sunday afternoon with a first-inning grand slam that propelled the Bay Sox to a 10-5 win over the defending New England Collegiate Baseball League champion Keene Swamp Bats?

The victory enabled New Bedford (16-10) to match last season's win total and end Keene's 10-game winning streak. It also gave New Bedford a sweep of the season series with the Western Division leaders (19-5), who have lost only five games this season, twice to the Bay Sox.

Earlier in the week, New Bedford ended Eastern Division leading Newport's five-game winning streak with a 3-2 win at Paul Walsh Field.

Graczyk came to the plate in the first inning with the Bay Sox trailing, 1-0. Zach Stone (four hits, two RBI and a 7-for-9 weekend) dropped a single into right field and moved up on Alex Black's infield hit off pitcher Joe Pistorese. Alex Baldock walked and Graczyk worked the count to 1-2. He hit the next pitch over the left-field fence for his third home run of the season and the Bay Sox were never headed.

Ironically, it was his second homer this weekend. Saturday night against Laconia, Graczyk broke a 6-6 tie with a 3-run home run in the fourth inning.

"I've always said that when I hit a home run, it's by accident," Graczyk explained. "I was trying to hit the ball to the outfield, maybe get a sacrifice fly, but I got a lot of it. (Saturday), I just got under the ball a little and it got out.

"I play the outfield here so I see every fly ball and know they get killed."

Graczyk's five RBI, after a sacrifice fly scored Black in the seventh inning, tied him with Black for the team lead in RBI with 25.

"This is summer ball, where you try to get better as a player, but this team takes losses hard," Graczyk said. "We're here to win games. I'm just playing every day and getting in a rhythm. I'm feeling good at the plate and, hopefully, I can keep going. I wish it didn't have to end."

This will be Graczyk's final summer playing college ball. The junior at SUNY-Cortland will be a senior in the fall en route to a job teaching earth science and biology after he graduates. He'd also like to coach at whichever high school he ends up working at and would even like a chance to coach in a league like the NECBL during the summer.

"You can see how he's improved by the way he's moved up the lineup, from ninth to fifth," Bay Sox manager Rick Miller said. "He doesn't strike out, he makes contact and puts the ball in play. He handles the bat pretty well, sees the ball and hits it."

Early in the season, Graczyk was mired in the low .200s, but has seen his batting average rise to .283 after his 1-for-3 day.

Graczyk's slam put New Bedford on top 4-1, and the Bay Sox made it 6-1 in the second inning. Peyton Hart reached on an infield throwing error and Brian Eggleston singled up the middle. Stone sent both runners home with a shot to the fence in center field. After Keene closed to within 6-3, the Bay Sox put the game out of reach with four runs in the seventh inning.

Evan King worked a walk and took second on Stone's single. Black sent King home with a single through the left side and Baldock drove home Stone with a singled to center. Black and Baldock moved up on a wide throw to the plate. Graczyk's sacrifice fly brought home Black and Baldcock moved up to third and then scored on a wild pitch.

Keene's Frankie Schwindel waited until the eighth inning before getting a single to left, extending his hitting streak to 18 games.

Colton Cross started for New Bedford and threw four hitless innings before giving up four straight hits with two outs in the fifth. John Lieske came on and pitched the final four innings, giving up two runs in recording his second save of the season.

"It's all about pitching," Miller said. "We got good pitching today. Colton was on a pitch count and he threw too many pitches in the fifth inning. Lieske got a lot of ground balls, but on this field, they got a lot of ground-ball hits."

If the challenge of playing Keene wasn't enough, New Bedford goes to Sanford, Maine, tonight to face the Mainers (7-13). Four of those seven wins came against the Bay Sox.

New Bedford is home Tuesday against the Mystic (Conn.) Schooners. The team will hold a free clinic at 2 p.m. Tuesday for players ages 6-16. Tuesday's game is "Canned Food Night." Anyone bringing at least one can of food can get two tickets for the price of one. The donations will be going to "Mobile Loaves and Fish," which is a program that provides food to the homeless.